Thinking about getting the game?

JonnyBigBoss · June 2008

I do not recommend this game at this point in time. Here is my story.

So FFXI was my the second real RPG I ever played. I played Ragnarok for a few months prior to getting FFXI back in 2004. I ended up coming to FFXI since some friends said they bought it. Turns out they never even installed it and I ended up playing alone on the Asura server. Over the course of a few months I got to level 75, and was completely unable to get into any Linkshells. World of Warcraft ended up coming out around the time I got FFXI and people kept recommending it. I went ahead and quit my new 75 to go to WoW.

I ended up playing WoW, on and off along with some other MMOs for about 3 years. About 4-weeks ago I quit WoW for my final time and became bored and started feeling like playing FFXI again. I had just begun Summer break from college and was really bored, and saw it as an opportunity to experience the game again. Within this game, I had very few fun or memorable experience (good experiences that is). I had to make 90% of my groups and I had to put a lot of work into making complete parties from level 16 onward. Not only that, but after playing WoW and some other games, I could tell the engine for FFXI was very outdated. Needless to say I had a bad experience.

So I ended up leveling Warrior to 30 and then Samurai to 17 before realizing that I had no incentive anymore. I really wanted to try the new 50+ content but it seemed out of reach. I spent nearly 8 hours 4 days ago looking for a group, and I even had a great search comment up. I was in a nice linkshell, but nobody, and I mean nobody knew anything of ventrilo or teamspeak. The game started going downhill, very fast. It was easy to realize that the combat was very dry and boring. You literally auto-attack with nearly no skills to use at all for hours at a time. Leveling isn't too slow, but finding a group really is. To top that off, getting a friend to play was nearly impossible. I even gave my buddy key to a friend who LOVES MMORPG and he quit within 5-days. Travel and combat in FFXI are just dead to someone who has played something else.

I know there are lots of people who come to MMORPG.com to find a game to play, and I must say, unless you feel like putting a LOT, and I mean a LOT of work into getting into high level, this game will disappoint you. It is very hard and very annoying. The community is great, and the character models are fantastic, but the gameplay mechanics, combat, low level experience, group-based leveling and overall clunkiness to the menus makes this game a game I cannot recommend in the year 2008. Speaking of which, the menus feel terrible. This game has not been optimized for the PC, and feels like a PS2 game on your PC. You have to experience it to believe it, and I even hooked up my PS3 controller to the PC to try it out and it felt great, but an MMORPG with a controller? {Thanks for the offer but I'll have to pass}. Overall, there aren't many good MMORPGs out there this day and age, but I would put this game on the bottom of the stack unless you're already level 60+. Needless to say, I cannot recommend this game in any way shape or form.

-Jonnybigboss

drkspartan · June 2008

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

Over the course of a few months I got to level 75, and was completely unable to get into any Linkshells.
Wow I have never had a problem getting in a LS on my server. I guess everyone hated you lol. As long as your not spamming for help or sitting there begging for money the community on seraph,the server im on, is very helpfull and would have gave you a linkpearl if you asked.

I know there are lots of people who come to MMORPG.com to find a game to play, and I must say, unless you feel like putting a LOT, and I mean a LOT of work into getting into high level, this game will disappoint you. It is very hard and very annoying.
Thats why people love this game and continue to play because you accually have to work hard to get something and when you do it feels great. Getting to 70 in World of Warcraft doesn't feel like that big of a deal because its so easy so when you get there you don't have that feeling of accomplishment like you would in Final Fantasy. Nothing comes easy in Final Fantasy i have spent over 100000 gil leveling up crafting to around 20. 100000 gil is not easy to come by either. Thats alot of money for me.
The community is great, and the character models are fantastic, but the gameplay mechanics, combat, low level experience, group-based leveling and overall clunkiness to the menus makes this game a game I cannot recommend in the year 2008.
The combat and group based leveling is why i keep coming back. I love it and being in groups makes you get to know the community and makes you form friendships.Since you constantly grouping with people those people will get to know you and will want you back in there group the next day. I do thank they need to update the menu along with a number of other things.
Speaking of which, the menus feel terrible. This game has not been optimized for the PC, and feels like a PS2 game on your PC. You have to experience it to believe it, and I even hooked up my PS3 controller to the PC to try it out and it felt great, but an MMORPG with a controller? {Thanks for the offer but I'll have to pass}.
I have to agree with you on this. I can not play this game with out my xbox controller. I accually like playing it with my controller over my keyboard because i can lay back and everything i need to do is on my controller. But how you move and do everything with the keyboard just dont feel right to me and i could never get used to it. I think though that you can go into the configuration menu and change it to more of a traditional mmo keyboard layout. I have never tried it though so i can't testify if its any better.
Overall, there aren't many good MMORPGs out there this day and age, but I would put this game on the bottom of the stack unless you're already level 60+. Needless to say, I cannot recommend this game in any way shape or form.
This is definitely a niche game so alot of people will hate it and alot of people will thank its the best thing that ever happened or be in between of course. I just came back and i am finding it hard to find a group which is not a good thing since you basically need a group to level but im not going to give up because i love Final Fantasy XI. So i say go to gamestop i think i saw a trial for like 2 bucks and give it a try if you thank it looks good.

WizGamer · June 2008

This topic is a complete biased lie. I have read so many forum posts on mmorpg.com and onrpg.com about how FFXI is amazing and everyone is restarting. It's true. I just restarted after not playing after two years due to the difficulty and then i realized that that's part of the FFXI experience. The game is meant to be hard and rewarding. I am having a blast and there are TON, TON of players. Always 2k on at all hours and the leveling is eased by the implementation of items that you can get for fighting with Signet including the empress band which increases xp by 50% for a short time (three to 3.5 hours). It can be recharged every day. The game is healthy as ever with a steady amount of players, 500k, and frequent updates. The lore and quests are fun and engaging where it's not "Kill x and get y" There are cutscenes that are so immersive, it's like you're in a living world. It's a great game and i'm hooked after playing everything from l2 to wow to vanguard to swg.

JonnyBigBoss · June 2008

Well, the problem is that both of you came BACK after already having characters. So one, that proves that you quit at some point so obviously something wasn't perfect. And two, my argument was that the game is good but only if you already have a high level. I personally have free time all day and have no video games to play right now and I still quit FFXI. There were a few rewarding experiences but I even preferred some of the rewards I got in EVE Online over what I felt in FFXI. Overall, it was a thumb-biting experience and starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.

WizGamer · June 2008

What part of restart is hard to understand? I never got past level 9 on any of my previous characters and that was two years ago. I never delved into anything in the game, never even getting to mission 1-3. I truly restarted, buying the Vanadiel Collection and everything. I am having a blast. This game is one of the healthiest mmorpgs out because it has managed to hold onto a user base throughout its duration. It's hard to compete with 500k when you are talking about a niche game. I have met so many new players and it's extremely easy to find a group.

Suplyndmnd · June 2008

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.

Starting the game fresh at this point in time IS recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran. See how much that weighs on your decision? Does the same on others. The game wasn't for you. That doesn't make the game a bad game, it makes it not the game for you. If it was the game for everyone, all the other MMORPG's would just close up shop. FFXI is for people who want to put a lot of time into a game, work hard, and not get experience points for walking into a new area.

The game is hard. If you want easy then it's not a great game for ya. If you want to bust your ass and be able to hold your chest out for what you've accomplished, then it's a game for you. I'm proud of my 75 SAM. I'm proud of my (currently) level 61 RDM. I take a lot of pride in my levels, my rank, and my gear because it cant be all purchased.

FFXI is a great game for me. The best thing a person can do is research the facts of a game and not listen to peoples opinion.

Facts = It's a tough game. It has a pretty steep learning curve. It has a strong community. It requires a party to level for a majority of the game. it requires a party to get most things done.

Opinion = This game sucks. The controls for this suck. I guess the rest are pretty obvious to discern from facts.

ProfRed · June 2008

Everything that you don't like about this game is what makes it so special to me. This game will always be the best MMORPG ever made to me, and it remains even more so now today than 3 or 4 years ago. If you can get past it's downsides the rewards that you will take with you are unbelievable, and no game like WoW will be able to hold you for more than a month.

randomuser83 · June 2008

This game has so many cool features. I enjoy all the classes and leveling but things like travel time and party's really bother me. If they fixed spawn times then I would come back.

BlueCadwal · June 2008

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

Well, the problem is that both of you came BACK after already having characters. So one, that proves that you quit at some point so obviously something wasn't perfect. And two, my argument was that the game is good but only if you already have a high level. I personally have free time all day and have no video games to play right now and I still quit FFXI. There were a few rewarding experiences but I even preferred some of the rewards I got in EVE Online over what I felt in FFXI. Overall, it was a thumb-biting experience and starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.

I came BACK after having an account, but I always delete my original characters. So one, that proves its not impossible to get started in this game. And two, you shouldn't call yourself a veteran there are veterans on here that have been playing MMOs far before 2004 (even before me). If you are a true veteran, you would be able to see the positives and negatives of every MMO and forgive them for the negatives. You've even tried chasing me away from this MMO when I am a self proclaimed veteran much like yourself; however, unlike you my first MMO was Asheron's Call followed by EverQuest (I would've played EQ first; however, my PC wouldn't support it so the account was put on hold for a few years).

Now, you have two flaws. One, people quit games for various reasons, not because they aren't perfect. Under that logic, I can say that "WoW is perfect because I can't pay the fees" which wouldn't make sense at all because I wouldn't be playing FFXI. The reason i quit the first 2 times was to try different MMOs: World of Warcraft and PlanetSide. Two, the argument in your first post is seriously flawed. I can rattle of a dozen other games that fit the criteria for each problem you have with FFXI. Actually... I don't even have to rattle a dozen off. Almost all the MMO's I've played, except for PlanetSide, fit the criteria only if you don't know what you're doing in-game.

Everyone was a newb at one point or another, and they just need to be nurtured and cared for in the early stages of the game to get used to the atmosphere. It just seems to me that for you that never happened and you had to learn everything yourself. I'm sorry that never happened, but I would've had the same complaints for almost every other MMO that I've played if I didn't meet some really great people early on to play with in the games. Just please stop ragging on this MMO. You've had your soapbox and now I really believe it's time you moved on with your life.

For the record, since you brought the friend issue up in your argument, I gave my girlfriend a spare set of codes that I received from the 360 version, and she's still playing. Her first MMO was WoW so the game can't be as bad as you say it is.

Baross2025 · June 2008

FFXI is successful because its a social experience, you meet new people you chat and hack away at monsters. The gameplay however is rather boring and less interactive then most mmorpgs so if your not talking and just sitting there staring at the screen it can get boring pretty fast. People who don't have alot of time will absolutely not like FFXI finding a party will take up most of your time while playing and its all about patience but can really make leveling feel like a chore.

wrongfeifong · June 2008

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

Well, the problem is that both of you came BACK after already having characters. So one, that proves that you quit at some point so obviously something wasn't perfect. And two, my argument was that the game is good but only if you already have a high level. I personally have free time all day and have no video games to play right now and I still quit FFXI. There were a few rewarding experiences but I even preferred some of the rewards I got in EVE Online over what I felt in FFXI. Overall, it was a thumb-biting experience and starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.

I can tell you that, i came back to FFXI and "MOVED" completely to another server... restarted with a new character because my original is delete.

This whole thing took 3 month and i reached 75.

I played a corsair so i had to "farm" and "farm" for bullets and gears. Corsair being the "second" most expensive class (Hell you have even but your AFs).

Anyway, you just got dumbed down by WoW, lately, i went on playing Age of Conan.. man that game sucks... people like it.. but i don't. Especially when you have to "grind" your level ALONE... i personnally hated that.

The whole industry is dumbed down by "WoW"... there is no future in MMORPG for American anymore.

Every game copy each other, and every game copy WoW. Only Korean/Japanese can deem worthy to be call MMORPG.

On a side note, Age of conan seriously sucked... Its like playing Guild War mixed with WoW... Then those "siege" battle are limited to 45 vs 45.. .and making every map an instances so that only 100 players per instance in the same map.

Oorton · June 2008

Originally posted by wrongfeifong

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

Well, the problem is that both of you came BACK after already having characters. So one, that proves that you quit at some point so obviously something wasn't perfect. And two, my argument was that the game is good but only if you already have a high level. I personally have free time all day and have no video games to play right now and I still quit FFXI. There were a few rewarding experiences but I even preferred some of the rewards I got in EVE Online over what I felt in FFXI. Overall, it was a thumb-biting experience and starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.

I can tell you that, i came back to FFXI and "MOVED" completely to another server... restarted with a new character because my original is delete.

This whole thing took 3 month and i reached 75.

I played a corsair so i had to "farm" and "farm" for bullets and gears. Corsair being the "second" most expensive class (Hell you have even but your AFs).

Anyway, you just got dumbed down by WoW, lately, i went on playing Age of Conan.. man that game sucks... people like it.. but i don't. Especially when you have to "grind" your level ALONE... i personnally hated that.

The whole industry is dumbed down by "WoW"... there is no future in MMORPG for American anymore.

Every game copy each other, and every game copy WoW. Only Korean/Japanese can deem worthy to be call MMORPG.

On a side note, Age of conan seriously sucked... Its like playing Guild War mixed with WoW... Then those "siege" battle are limited to 45 vs 45.. .and making every map an instances so that only 100 players per instance in the same map.

No doubt that a lot of players have been 'dumbed down' by WoW - I, myself, being one of them.

I quit WoW a few months ago and I'm now floating around looking for a pretty sick MMO to play. I can't play AoC because the requirements blow my laptop out of the water.

A long time ago when FFXI first came out, I purchased the game with RoZ but never got around to playing it; however, I recently installed the game (the goddamn patch took FOREVER to download and update - it was such a pain) and went to give it a shot.

Honestly, I was lost right when the game started. I couldn't even move my character! So I went reading the dang book and found out that the numpad was used to move! I'm on a laptop with no numpad keys! So I had to change the controls.

Now, I didn't get far in the game because it was frustrating already...

Then there was the issue of the camera - it was difficult for me to control...

Then there was the fighting - I was bored...I just auto-attacked the mobs to death...and I guess that's to be expected at this point in the game but...I got really bored...especially when it took like 10-20 seconds to kill the level 1 mob.

Then there was the issue of the 'quest log' and I couldn't figure out where that was on the interface...

Then there was the issue of the minimap...I would have to stop what I was doing and access the menu then access the map to see where I was...

All in all, it's a very different style of play and if you're used to something like WoW, be prepared to be frustrated and annoyed.

But that's just my experience with the game so far...I'll probably give it another shot today when I'm less tired and see how that goes.

Though, from what I was reading about the game, it really sounds fun and exciting! I just wish the controls and the learning curve was easier...

ProfRed · June 2008

Originally posted by Oorton

Originally posted by wrongfeifong

Originally posted by JonnyBigBoss

Well, the problem is that both of you came BACK after already having characters. So one, that proves that you quit at some point so obviously something wasn't perfect. And two, my argument was that the game is good but only if you already have a high level. I personally have free time all day and have no video games to play right now and I still quit FFXI. There were a few rewarding experiences but I even preferred some of the rewards I got in EVE Online over what I felt in FFXI. Overall, it was a thumb-biting experience and starting the game fresh at this point in time is NOT recommended by myself, a MMORPG veteran.